With workplace disasters in developing countries increasingly in the news, a major question is how to encourage consumers to use corporate social responsibility as a criterion in purchasing. Distinct from environmental concerns, social responsibility is defined here with respect to the humanitarian aspects of corporate practice, including fair wages and working conditions, equitable treatment of the disadvantaged, and restriction of child labor. Although the idea of socially responsible consumption (SRC) was first identified over forty years ago, most recent research on changing consumption habits focuses specifically on environmentally responsible consumption (ERC). Combining the psychological concept of social norms with economic emphasis on choice framing, research in behavioral economics has suggested that ERC can be promoted by “nudges,” low-cost initiatives that alter the decision environment to favor specific options. Here, we provide an overview of the existing literature on nudges and consumer choice, including the role of social norms, as well as other factors involved in successful social messaging. Previous research on ERC suggests that social norm nudges may result in higher rates of energy conservation, recycling and reuse, and purchasing of ecologically-friendly products. Applying these findings to the domain of SRC, we propose a set of possible interventions to increase consumer attention to social responsibility, highlighting the distinguishing roles of empathy and targeted demographic appeals in nudging consumers towards social change.

The purpose of this thesis is to reveal the age-related norms which control the process of making public archives accessible. It focuses on physical access and visitors at the physical archival institutions. More specifically, it examines which groups are not included in the archival institutions’ target groups and why this is the case, the archival employees’ views on visitors’ needs and the archival institutions’ action space regarding the process of making archives accessible. The theoretical framework for this thesis is a combination of a norm critical and an intersectional perspective. The main method used is qualitative interviews with employees at archival institutions. Two different archival institutions have been examined, which are both departments of public authorities. The main result of the thesis is that there exist normative systems within the archival institutions which favour elderly people and people within the academic world. Age also matters less for people within the academic world. Accordingly, people outside of these groups can be regarded as non-target groups. Factors which can contribute to exclusion are also non-western origin and to be occupied at daytime. The explanations to why some groups are excluded are lack of resources and knowledge, a reactive approach, and the institutions’ opening hours. Regarding visitors’ needs, many visitors need help searching for material and formulating their needs, which they can also expect to be helped with. Needs which the archival employees can not satisfy are extensive reading of handwriting or carrying out research for the visitor. In general, it seems that people within the archival institutions’ target groups are more likely to get the exact help they need. The archival employees have a relatively great action space when it comes to making archives accessible, as the policy documents don’t mention this activity in detail. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

OBJECTIVE: The study assessed the applicability of the social norms approach to help-seeking behavior in the military by exploring whether Service Members are affected by perceptions of peers’ beliefs about stigma related barriers to mental health care. METHOD: Data were collected from members of the Virginia National Guard (N= 84) during Yellow Ribbon events. Using surveys, Service Members’ own perceptions and their perceptions of their peers’ beliefs about barriers to seeking psychological care were gathered. RESULTS: Participants’ own beliefs about barriers to care were positively correlated with perceptions of peers’ beliefs. Variance in help-seeking status was better accounted for by participants’ own beliefs on stigma-related barriers to care, but perceptions of peers’ beliefs were also correlated with help-seeking status. CONCLUSION: Personal costs of seeking help according to personal and perceptions of peers’ beliefs are explored, as well as implications, next steps for future research, and limitations.

Many scholars have suggested that current copyright law is ill-equipped to the challenges of determining the authorship of collaborative work. This thesis analyses four case studies of large scale collaboration (Wikipedia, Indigenous art, scientific collaborations and film) in order to consider how best to determine the authorship of the creative works that they produce for the purposes of copyright law. Current scholarship and much of the case law has tended to favour a restrictive approach to the grant of joint authorship status, in order to minimise the number of potential authors of a work. This is motivated by instrumental/pragmatic concerns related to the ease of exploiting a copyright work. As joint authors are often joint first owners of copyright, proponents of this approach fear that a minor contributor might cause hold-up problems by refusing to consent to licence or assign their copyright interest. This thesis argues that an instrumental/pragmatic approach to the application of the joint authorship test is undesirable, because it distances the test both from the creativity reality of collective authorship and from copyright’s notion of the author. In addition, the instrumental/pragmatic approach relies upon assumptions about creators, the creative process and the exploitation of creative works which are not borne out in the case studies. Building on the insights from the four case studies, the thesis argues that the best approach to applying the joint authorship test to works of collective authorship is one that is inclusive (of all those who have made a more than de minimis contribution of creative choices to the protected expression) and contextual (in that it takes the context of creativity into account). In coming to this conclusion the thesis also offers broader lessons about the nature of authorship and the ongoing relevance of copyright law standards for the regulation of collaborative creativity.

Depuis plus de 40 ans, les mobilisations autour d’enjeux environnementaux interrogent les relations que l’homme entretient avec la nature. Mais toutes les questions d’environnement ne retiennent pas l’attention des pouvoirs publics et du public. Fondée sur une approche constructiviste de sociologie des problèmes publics et de sociologie cognitive, la thèse permet de comprendre, à partir de l’exemple de la conservation des bois morts, comment cette question a été instituée en problème public – sous l’impulsion de scientifiques et de responsables d’associations environnementales – et inscrite à l’agenda des politiques environnementales. Si la dimension sectorielle de ce type de problème a rendu difficile sa médiatisation, la thèse montre aussi qu’il a bénéficié de l’alignement du cadre interprétatif sur des catégories de problèmes publics déjà identifiés comme celui de la biodiversité. La thèse interroge également la production normative inhérente à la publicisation de cette question ainsi que les conditions d’élaboration de solutions. Si la production de normes censées résoudre ces problèmes est de plus en plus décentralisée et négociée, ce travail de normalisation montre ses limites en termes d’asymétrie de pouvoir, de légitimité sociale accordée aux différents acteurs de la négociation et de l’hétérogénéité des référentiels qui reposent parfois sur des compromis minimalistes et fonctionnels. Malgré cette absence de cadres interprétatifs et de référentiels normatifs stabilisés, les forestiers de terrain, enquêtés dans les Landes de Gascogne et la forêt de Rambouillet, se montrent de plus en plus réceptifs à la question de la biodiversité associée aux bois morts mais aussi à l’utilisation de cette biomasse comme source d’énergie renouvelable. Notre approche de sociologie cognitive, et en particulier de la pensée technique, montre que cette mise en concurrence et ce recadrage autour de problèmes publics environnementaux présentés comme d’égale importance interrogent à nouveau les forestiers sur leur façon de concilier éthique environnementale et économie dans le cadre de leur gestion forestière. / For more than 40 years, mobilizations around environmental issues try to engage the public and the public authorities about the relationship between human beings and nature. But all environmental issues do not become the focus of public attention or public authorities. Based on the sociology of social problems and knowledge sociology, the thesis shows how the question of dead wood conservation was instituted as a public problem by scientists and managers of environmental associations and how it was put on the agenda of environmental policies. If the professional dimension of this type of problem has complicated its media coverage, the thesis shows that this issue benefited from the alignment of its interpretative framework with some public debates which were already identified such as biodiversity issues. The thesis also queries the normative production inherent to the publicization of this issue and the conditions for the development of solutions. If the production of standards that ought to solve these problems is more and more decentralized and negotiated, this standardization shows its limits in terms of asymmetry of power, social legitimacy given to the different actors of the negotiation and the heterogeneity of the standards systems that are sometimes based on functional and minimalist compromises. Despite this absence of interpretative frameworks and stabilized normative references, foresters, in the Landes of Gascony and the forest of Rambouillet, were more and more receptive to the biodiversity issues associated with dead wood, but also to the use of this biomass as a renewable energy source. Our approach of cognitive sociology shows that this competition between these two public environmental problems is of equal importance for foresters who are dubious about the way to reconcile environmental ethics and economics in the framework of their forest management.

Essa tese de doutorado tem como objetivo estudar o diferencial de gênero no tempo de commuting dos indivíduos e entender sua relação com a Hipótese da Responsabilidade Doméstica (HRH, em inglês). Em um primeiro momento busca-se identificar as diferenças no comportamento de viagens a trabalho de homens e mulheres e associá-las à HRH, ao passo que a segunda parte vai mais a fundo na questão da divisão de tarefas e analisa o papel das normas sociais como motor do diferencial de gênero no tempo de commuting. Lançando mão de informações provenientes da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD) de 2011 a 2015 para indivíduos casados, a primeira parte constrói uma métrica para o grau de responsabilização do cônjuge com os afazeres domésticos e investiga a sua importância na determinação do tempo de commuting. Os principais resultados indicam que gênero só se apresenta como característica relevante para explicar a duração do deslocamento ao trabalho nos cenários em que a parcela desempenhada de afazeres domésticos não é levada em consideração. Testes de robustez mostram que o efeito da HRH sobrevive mesmo quando incluídos nas regressões aspectos do mercado de trabalho que tradicionalmente são apontados como explicações para homens e mulheres apresentarem diferentes durações do commuting. Reconhecendo que a divisão de afazeres domésticos é influenciada pelos papéis de gênero que cada cônjuge assume dentro de um casamento, a segunda parte utiliza dados do Censo Brasileiro de 2010 para incluir na análise casais do mesmo sexo e entender como as normas sociais podem ser responsáveis pelas diferentes durações no trajeto casa-trabalho de homens e mulheres. Os resultados revelam que casais do mesmo sexo apresentam maior probabilidade de terem o mesmo tempo de commuting e que mulheres que se relacionam com outras mulheres conseguem ter maior mobilidade no espaço urbano, trazendo evidências de que o afrouxamento das normas sociais, materializado na não-designação tradicional de papéis sociais de gênero em um casamento, tem efeitos positivos sobre a igualdade do commuting. A pesquisa aqui desenvolvida expande a fronteira do conhecimento em várias frentes, a começar por trazer a discussão para fora do eixo dos países desenvolvidos. Mais importante ainda, discute o desenrolar da HRH no que diz respeito à capacidade de se locomover no espaço em busca de melhores oportunidades de emprego. Finalmente, a pesquisa ainda traz insights sobre a diferença entre gênero e papéis de gênero como condicionantes do comportamento de viagem dos indivíduos, permitindo que políticas públicas sejam desenhadas visando mitigar os efeitos adversos da HRH para as mulheres. / This dissertation deals with the gender differential in the commuting time of individuals and aims to understand its relationship with the Household Responsibility Hypothesis (HRH). First, it seeks to identify the differences in the behavior of travel to work for men and women and to associate them with HRH. The second part explores the issue of the division of household chores and analyzes the role of social norms as the motor of the gender differential in commuting time. Using information from the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) from 2011 to 2015 for married individuals, the first part constructs a metric for the degree of accountability of the spouse to household chores and investigates their importance in determining commuting time. The main results indicate that gender is a relevant characteristic only to explain travel time to work in the scenarios in which the portion of household chores performed is not taken into account. Moreover, robustness tests show that the HRH effect persists even when aspects of the labor market that are traditionally pointed out as explanations for men and women presenting different durations of commuting are included in the regressions. Acknowledging that household chores are influenced by the gender roles each spouse takes in a marriage, the second part uses data from the 2010 Brazilian Census to include same-sex couples in the analysis to understand how social norms can account for different commuting times for men and women. The results show that same-sex couples are more likely to have the same commuting time and that women who relate to other women are able to have greater mobility in the urban space, bringing evidence that the loosening of social norms, materialized by the non-designation of traditional gender roles in a marriage, has positive effects on commuting equality. The research developed here pushes the boundary of knowledge on several fronts, starting with exploring the issue out of the usual circuit of developed countries. More importantly, it discusses the development of HRH with regard to the ability to move around in space in search of better employment opportunities. Finally, the research brings insights into the difference between gender and gender roles as constraints on individuals\' travel behavior, enabling the design of public policies to mitigate the adverse effects of HRH for women.

The main goal of this study is to investigate stimulus that can be used to increase consumers purchase intentions toward suboptimal food products. Consumers seem to have low preferences to buy fruits and vegetables with unusual appearance, products with damaged package and close to the expiration date, usually called suboptimal food products. However, rejection of suboptimal food is an important contributor to food waste levels. Interventions aimed at encouraging the purchase of suboptimal food are scarce, however needed. This study used the theory of normative influence to test the effect of both descriptive and injunctive norms on a product with an unusual appearance, a product with a reduced expiration date and a product with a damaged package. The first study tested different messages appeals to create a realistic norm in study 2. From this study, it was selected the social message appeal and the frequencies of purchase toward each product, using them in the messages as the prevalent norm The second study analysed the effect of injunctive and descriptive norms of purchase intentions toward suboptimal food and also tested the effect of environmental concern and food waste problem awareness. Results show that both environmental concern and food waste problem awareness impact purchase intentions toward suboptimal food. Additionally, appeals employing social norms proved to affect purchases intentions toward these products. However, this effect only occurred for the vegetable with an unusual appearance and the product with a package damaged. For the product with a reduced expiration date the norms had no effect. Moreover, for the product with an unusual appearance, food waste problem awareness mediated the effect of injunctive norm on purchase intentions. Based on the results, this study contributes to the theory of normative influences by showing that, in a general way, this theory is applied to food waste reduction issues, more specifically, with suboptimal food consumption. However, it is necessary to consider the type of sub-optimally and the context where the influence is applied. Additionally, was discussed how social norms can be used to tackle food waste and the implications for marketing and policy actions.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar o efeito gerado pelo uso de diferentes normas sociais descritivas e pelo uso do selo de orgânico em produtos alimentícios sobre as preferências do consumidor por produtos orgânicos durante uma simulação de compras online. Tendo como marco teórico as novas ferramentas da economia comportamental, como nudges e arquitetura da escolha, num contexto de Paternalismo Libertário, a análise contou com a realização de um experimento através de um site de compras no qual os participantes foram expostos a diferentes mensagens normativas descritivas durante o processo de tomada de decisão na compra de alimentos. Participaram do experimento 1.965 estudantes de graduação da UFRGS e as análises dos resultados foram realizadas utilizando regressões por Mínimos Quadrados Ordinários e o Propensity Score Matching (PSM) para cálculo do Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT). Para ambas estratégias os resultados mostraram um efeito positivo e significativo no uso das normas descritivas para o consumo de orgânicos e no percentual consumido de produtos orgânicos. No entanto, no caso do uso do selo de produto orgânico esses resultados não foram significativos. A análise sugere que o uso de normas descritivas pode promover o consumo de produtos orgânicos por estudantes e estas podem ser incorporadas na formulação de políticas públicas que visem a incentivar o consumo desse tipo de produto. / This work aims to analyze the effect caused by the use of different descriptive social norms and by the use of the organic label in food products about consumer preferences for organic products during an online shopping simulation. Within the theoretical framework of the new tools of behavioral economics, as nudges and architecture of choice in a context of Paternalism Libertarian. The analysis included the realization of an experiment through a shopping site where participants were exposed to different descriptive normative messages during the decision-making process when buying food. Experiment participants were 1.965 graduate students from UFRGS and the analysis of the results were performed using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions and the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) for calculation of the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT). For both strategies the results showed a positive and significant effect on the use of descriptive social norms for the consumption of organics and for the percentage of organic products consumed. However, in the case of the use of the product’s organic label these results were not significant. The analysis suggests that the use of descriptive social norms can promote the consumption of organic products by students and these can be incorporated into the formulation of public policies to encourage consumption of this type of product.

Men’s underrepresentation in the female-dominated domains of healthcare, early education, and the domestic sphere, or HEED roles, remains a persistent problem despite the fact that such careers often afford more job security and wage growth than blue-collar work. A growing body of evidence suggests that their lack of participation in HEED roles is not merely due to a skills mismatch, but rather an identity mismatch. I hypothesized that using descriptive and injunctive norms to reframe a stereotypically feminine career as more compatible with manhood could effectively reduce this identity mismatch. More specifically, I predicted that using a dynamic descriptive norm framing that highlighted the growing number of men taking on a female-dominated career and an injunctive norm framing that highlighted its compatibility with men’s gender rules would increase men’s interest in the occupation. Furthermore, I believed that such framings would be particularly effective among men who are highly communal and those who do not strongly endorse traditional male role norms. To test my predictions, 342 men took part in an online study in which they were assigned to read a newspaper article about a HEED role, nursing, that was designed to manipulate the perceived prevalence of male nurses and the job’s compatibility with male gender rules. Then, they completed a variety of measures designed to assess their interest in and perceptions of nursing and other HEED careers. Minimal support was found for my hypotheses, and I discuss limitations and future directions to shed light on these null results.

Previous research has explored self-perception of weight and has established that women tend to overestimate their own weight while men tend to underestimate. New research has also begun to examine parental perceptions of their children's weight and has indicated that parents tend to be fairly inaccurate, particularly when it comes to recognizing overweight in their own children. No research has focused on the way in which we perceive the weight of the many other individuals we encounter on a daily basis. The present study was designed to investigate the way in which the weight of others is rated and the factors that affect the way in which these ratings are made. Undergraduate male (N = 140) and female (N = 193) students viewed a series of slides depicting male and female figures of varying levels of muscularity and adiposity. The race of the figures was also varied. Each figure was presented once in each racial category (Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American). Participants then filled out questionnaires assessing potential covariates: trait levels of body dissatisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, muscularity dissatisfaction, proximate social norms, appearance comparison, and social desirability. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. The effects of target race, rater race, and rater gender on ratings were examined. Results indicated that the race of the figure affected the ratings given to the figure, though consistent patterns of influence were not identified. Males consistently rated the weight of the figures higher than females and African American raters consistently assigned lower weight ratings than did Caucasian raters. The analyses failed to identify consistent covariates of these effects. Results also provided tentative support for the hypothesis that, given two figures equal in adiposity, raters will provide a lower weight rating to the figure with more muscularity. Exploratory analyses also examined health and attractiveness ratings. The findings are discussed in the context of research on self-perception and the way in which the trends in perception of others differ from the trends seen in self-perception. Study limitations are discussed and possibilities for future research are offered.